An anonymous source once said “everybody starts caring when it’s too late”. Through the use of domestic surveillance, our government is able to prevent trouble before an actual threat arises. However, the issue of domestic surveillance is subject to much controversy, as it can ensure security, but only at the cost of our privacy. Domestic surveillance methods such as video surveillance, media surveillance, and drone surveillance are used by the U.S. government in an effort to protect its citizens before it is too late.
To begin, video surveillance is a method used to keep citizens safe. A case in which surveillance cameras would have helped, found in a New York Times article by Nick Bilton, is “the case of Mr. Martin, an unarmed black teenager who was fatally shot by George Zimmerman, a neighborhood watch volunteer, [where] the most crucial evidence about how the altercation between the two began- one that ultimately led to Mr. Martin’s death- came down to Mr. Zimmerman’s word”. As one can observe from this situation, if there had only been a surveillance camera in the neighborhood, the trial would not have come down to the convict’s and eyewitnesses’ words and would have had solid …show more content…
government uses drone surveillance. “The system is designed to track objects” (Gallington). Such technology is very helpful in tracking potentially dangerous people and items. As David Young explains, “other federal, state and local agencies, primarily law enforcement, effectively borrow the CBP drones by having the CPB fly missions on their behalfs”. With law enforcement using drones they can, much more easily and quickly, track and catch criminals. Although critics believe that drones are one of the most troubling sorts of surveillance, logic dictates that this belief is mainly formed from the fact that similar drones are used in warfare, though this does not label them as any more threatening than video or media